Official pets.

Hey all, I know that many politically charged headlines have surfaced in the past weeks. I would like to address a lighter topic though. Animals have often provided an aspect of innocence to those who hold office. How important does the heart of a person matter in politics?
The American political arena is usually characterized as intense similar to the now known mud slinging style. Individuals attacking each others characters often make the headlines of most news casts. Politician’s pets have helped personify each individual as more like me and you as opposed to that of an elitist.
I would like to highlight some of these individuals. The most famous instance happened when Richard Nixon used the dogs Checkers to depict himself as one who would do anything for his daughter. He managed to paint a picture that captured many hearts. Another grandiose moment occurred when a picture got taken of Caroline Kennedy in her riding gear standing firm next to her pony Macaroni as described in a Denver Post article from December 2007. The idea that a member of the Camelot family stood next to her favorite pony just reassured people how powerful the Kennedy family really was. In another instance, Buddy the dog might have saved Bill Clinton’s political image.
Bill Clinton’s presidency was full of scandals. The most famous of these includes the Lewinsky debacle. He is famous for shrinking the military budget, signing NAFTA, not taking Osama from the Saudi’s, and many failed policies. He did gain some notoriety even throughout the Lewinsky scandal through Buddy the dog. Buddy stood out as a sweet member of the Clinton family. Many jokes were made using him as a punch line. When he died as CNN reports it many felt sorry since Buddy got struck by a moving vehicle. Everyone cared for that dog no matter their political views, or how they regard former President Clinton.
Finally in 2004 John Kerry’s anecdote about saving a hamster from the bottom of a river made it a less credible Presidential campaign for him. His daughters recounted a story in which Senator Kerry rescued their precious hamster whose cage had fallen from their boat. Many still believe that this helped punch a final hole sending his campaign to sink during the election in 2004. Especially since it seemed like he tried to appeal to voters with this heroic effort.
I have had to retire my guide dog that I have had the honor of working with for three years. It broke my heart to make the decision to no longer allow her to use her God given gift of helping me travel. I understand how much animals impact a person who becomes attached to one. They can indicate how much kindness a person has in their character. Does tale’s like the Kerry hamster impact how you normally vote in an election? How a person deals with their pets indicate anything about their character to you especially when their in a position of power. If any of the current Presidential candidates demonstrated how much they loved their pets would it appeal to you? Senator McCain has several pets, but Senator Obama doesn’t have any. James.